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I
t's astounding how something as simple as a game of basketball and a special group
of talented student athletes can tie our community closer together. It happened this
year. Without question. The men's and women's basketball teams in 2012-2013 showed
us what it means to play together, unselfishly and tirelessly, as one unit working toward
one goal. They epitomized the collective and communal momentum of UofL — rising to
the occasion.
Just look around campus, and around the city, and you'll see how far this metropolitan
university has come. And how far it is destined to go. That feeling of pride extends well
beyond the playing field. From the classrooms to the research laboratories to the zones of new
construction, the time when UofL steps onto the national stage is here. A Sugar Bowl victory,
a women's Final Four and a men's national championship are really just the beginning.
But before we look ahead, let's look back at a truly remarkable accomplishment.
GUT CHECK
One of the greatest runs in UofL history began in earnest on a down
note, a five-overtime, 104-101 loss at Notre Dame on Feb. 9. In a locker
room after that loss, Cardinals coach Rick Pitino outlined a new vision
for his team for the rest of the season. The Cards' championship run
would begin with a pledge. As he outlined the goals — one by one —
for them, Pitino actually had the team repeat them out loud.
The goals were these: They would win their final seven regular
season games. They would go to Madison Square Garden in New York
and win the final BIG EAST Tournament, but they would not cut
down the nets. They would earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament
and hope for a chance to play in their home state, at Rupp Arena
in Lexington. They would win two games and hope to play in front
of their home fans in the Indianapolis Regional. They would return
to the Final Four, but not cut down the nets. They would win in the
national semifinals, where they had lost to Kentucky a year
earlier, and they would finally cut down the nets after winning
the national championship.
"I gave them very demanding goals," Pitino said. "I told them
'It's not probable what I'm about to say to you, but I think it's
possible.' To be honest with you, I'm just so amazed that they
could accomplish everything that we put out there. I'm absolutely
amazed as a basketball coach."
The good times got rolling after the Cardinals came from
16 points down to Syracuse in the final BIG EAST Tournament
championship in Madison Square Garden. With his team trailing
by 13 at halftime, Pitino asked his players, "Is this how you're
going to represent our university? Is this how you're going to go
out?" He told them to figure it out. They did. They roared from
16 behind to 18 ahead to win their second straight BIG EAST
Tournament championship, capped by a visit from former
President Bill Clinton to their postgame locker room celebration.
THE LONG AND ARDUOUS ROAD
"For a few weeks, we felt like America's team," junior forward
Luke Hancock said, and it's hard to argue with him.
22|LOUISVILLE.EDU
It was about more than basketball. From the compelling
storylines of individual players and head coach Pitino to the
international story of sophomore guard Kevin Ware's gruesome
broken leg in the Midwest Regional Final against Duke and the
public reaction to his courageous response, this UofL team provided
a narrative that captured the nation.
The Cardinals navigated two lopsided victories in Rupp Arena,
beating North Carolina A&T and Colorado State. Russ Smith set an
NCAA Tournament single-game record with eight steals in the first
of those wins. After the second, Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy
said, "I don't want to put the pressure on Rick and his guys, but
they're special. The way he gets them to play for 40 minutes, with
that level of preparation, is as impressive as I've ever seen."
As Eustachy passed UofL athletic director Tom Jurich, his old
college roommate, in the interview room, he slapped him on the
back and said, "Buckle up. It's going to be a long ride." It was.
After a victory over Oregon in front of 30,000-plus Cardinal
fans in Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium, the Cardinals would play
in a classic regional final that pitted Pitino against Mike Krzyzewski
for the first time in NCAA Tournament play since their famous
"Christian Laettner shot" meeting in the 1993 NCAA Regional
finals when Pitino coached at Kentucky.
With 6:33 left in the first half of a game that had been billed as
one of the highlights of the tournament, Ware went up for a shot and
landed on his right leg, snapping his tibia on national television.
Many of his teammates collapsed. Equipment manager Vinny
Tatum was the first to reach Ware
(Top left) The newly crowned
and covered his exposed bone
National Champion Cardinals
with a towel. Fred Hina arrived
celebrate their historic win
right after and did the same.
on stage; (Top right) Forward
While UofL players gathered
Chane Behanan gets all ball
themselves, many of them
on a block under the paint;
unable to look at the injury, team (Bottom) No. 2 Russ Smith
captain Luke Hancock knelt by
drives into heavy Oregon
Ware's side and started talking to
traffc on his way to scoring 31